The days of marrying your childhood sweetheart, buying a two-up, two-down, and settling in for 60-odd years of unbridled marital joy are long gone, it seems.

Walking down the aisle with your first love is frowned upon by the modern generation, research shows, with most preferring to test the water as they look for their Mr or Mrs Right.

While nearly a third couples over 60 have been together since they were teenagers, just one in seven of those aged 26 to 30 had met their other half before hitting their 20s, the study by the Future Foundation for The Co-operative found.

However, the two generations did have one thing in common, as a similar percentage in each passed their driving test by the age of 25.

David Magliano, director of brand at The Co-operative, said: ‘This fascinating research shines the spotlight on the various generations and shows how some things like the age we get married have changed while others such as learning to drive are almost constant.’

The younger generation is also waiting longer to have children and enter the jobs market, while the average age of first-time buyers remains on the rise, the survey of 2,000 Britons found.

William Nelson, of The Future Foundation, said: ‘This great delay in getting into jobs, the housing market and having kids is now having knock-on effects right through life, with people trading up to family-sized homes later on, and far fewer young grandparents around.’